The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1887-12-24
Bnrdette on Insomnia.

w nat pleaSeS me, When L am Tor
mented with sleeplessness, is a little
health book of my own. in which l
have jotted down few-a very few
of the "infallible remedies" for Sleep
lessness which have been tried in
thousands-or perhaps it was mil
lions-of cases, most of which were
in the subscribers own Immediate
family, or. at the farthest. circle of
intimate friends, and had never once
failed to effect permanent, and it is
needless to say. instant cure. All OF
these cases collectively and each one
by itself individually were and was
exactly like my own in cause, dura-
ton and operation. The simplicity
of the combined remedy appeals at
once to human confidence.
Eat nothing within three hours be-
fore retiring.
Eat light but substantial luncheon
Just before going to bed. Nature alb
hors vacuum. This is one of the
prescriptions l like.)
Read light literature before going
to bed.
Read nothing after supper. Walk
a mile in the open air just before bed
time.
Go to your room an hour before re-
firing and read until bed time, Give
up smoking altogether.
If you are smoker, cigar just
before retiring will soothe and tran
quilize your nerves until you can't
keep awake.
Don't think about sleeping: you
scare away slumber by wooing the
drowsy god,
Resolutely resolve as you lie down
that you will go to sleep, and sleep
will come naturally.
Take warm bath, and go from the
tub into bed.
Take cold sponge bath, jump int
bed, and you'll be asleep before your
head touches the pillow.
Wolk slowly about your room half
an hour.
Lie on your right side, with your
cheek on your hand.
Lie on your left side with your
head on your arm.
Count up to one thousand. II tried
this inhuman bit of idiocy one night.
l came very near falling asleep two
or three times, but was startled wide
awake by suddenly becoming con
scious that had lost my count, and
had to begin over again. This care
kept me awake one whole night,
when was so sleepy l could scarce
ly hold my eyes open. The friend
who gave me this prescription is not
living now. She was woman, and
/ could not, as a gentleman, offer her
violence. So l dosed box CT marsh
mellows with death to rats, and sent
them to herr
Drink milk. This, according to
my experience, is the best prescrip
ton IN the lot. 1t will make you
sleep better than all the BROMIDE
going, which are sEares and delus-
ions, But milk diet not only makes
you sleep at night, but you want to
sleep all the next day. 1t makes you
int0lerably stupid all the time, 1t is
very pleasant, half awake feeling,
if you have nothing else to do but
enjoy falling asleep at any time and
iu all manner of places, like Colville
in the best told story of these times
"Indisn Summer :" but if you have
any work to do it is very embarras-
sing.)
So. what is a sIeepless man who
wants to sleep, going to do? If he
eats light luncheon, smokes a mild
cigar, reads Bonner an hour, walks
a mile in the air, comes back and
walks another mile about his room,
takes sponge bath, cold, followed
by tub bath, warm, drinks a pint
of milk, jumps into bed. and lies on
both sides, with his head on one arm
and one hand and counts thousand,
1t will be time to get up anyhow,
and he can have few nervous fits
during the day.
1t is fact. however, that even
men who think they suffer from
sleeplessness do not lie awake half so
long as they imagine they do, When
man says to me. 81 did not close
my eyes once all night" know he
lies. Not Intentionally of course.
He thinks he was awake all night |;
the probability is that he did not get
to sleep until two hours after his reg.
ular time. and it seemed an age to
him, Really, it isn't often a man
lies awake the whole night through.
am not a physician, and can not
speak by the book, but | believe men
flo about theii sleepless nights more
than any other i'll to which our weak
humanity 10 hair NOu toko xour